The advertisement read: "Store closing sale – Cedar Springs Christian Store – Clinton Highway location – All merchandise, fixtures, slat walls must go. Sale through August 13, phone 865.947.XXX." Mrs. McGinnis placed the ad on July 26. It was supposed to run on July 28. But when she opened up the newspaper – the ad was nowhere to be found. So Mrs. McGinnis phoned the newspaper and spoke with a classified ad employee. "She said our ad did not run because it contained an offensive word," she told me. "I asked what that offensive word was and she said the...

As Knoxville, Tennessee, continued grappling with the killing of rising high school football star Zaevion Dobson, President Barack Obama took to Twitter to repeat his call for stricter gun control laws. "Zaevion Dobson died saving three friends from getting shot," Obama wrote Sunday from Hawaii, where he arrived Friday for the holidays. "He was a hero at 15. What is our excuse for not acting?"

A 15-year-old high school football player was hailed a hero after he was fatally shot as he covered three girls when a man â€śrandomlyâ€ť opened fire on a crowd in Tennessee, police said Friday.â€śZaevion Dobson, a 15-year-old Fulton High School student and football player, was struck and killed after he had jumped on top of three girls to shield them from the shooters,â€ť Knoxville police Chief David Rausch said, appearing emotional as he held back tears during a news conference.None of the three girls were injured, according to a GoFundMe page for Dobson, that said he was â€śour hero.â€ťThursdayâ€™s deadly...

Agency says it remains committed to solving the 5-year-old mystery WASHINGTON - The top FBI official in charge of the investigation into the deadly anthrax attacks has left the case, NBC News has learned. Richard "Rick" Lambert had been the inspector of the so-called AMERITHRAX case since September 2002, and had run every aspect of the five-year-old investigation. Just last month, he was transferred to the Knoxville, Tenn., field office of the FBI as its special agent in charge, according to the FBI. Lambert was the public face of the case, and his transfer is sure to fuel speculation that...

Full video replay in case you missed it. GOP Presidential candidate and front-runner Donald J. Trump was in Knoxville, TN today and gave a speech to thousands of supporters at the Knoxville Convention Center.

KNOXVILLE - Donald Trump, polling as one of the front-runners for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, is booked for a rally at 7 p.m. Monday at the Knoxville Convention Center. The event is free and open to the public.

WHITE PINE (WATE) — A shooting Saturday evening in White Pine left an 8-year-old girl dead and an 11-year-old boy arrested on first-degree murder charges. . . . Latasha Dyer said her daughter was outside playing when her next door neighbor, an 11-year-old boy, asked to see her puppy. She said her daughter told the boy “no” and shortly after the 11-year-old boy shot her.

KNOXVILLE, Iowa -- A solider kneeling at a cross at a park in Knoxville has been the topic of debate for weeks now. Earlier this month, a resident asked the city to remove the cross, but on Sunday, the majority of the community rallied together to convince the city to keep it.Close to 2,000 people protested around the display in Young’s Park. They made their stance known before the city makes its decision on whether to remove the cross.Several veterans, state politicians and residents spoke Sunday saying the cross should stay.“That’s their constitutional right to be offended, but it's also...

KNOXVILLE — Two Sunnyview Primary School students and a Sunnyview teacher's aide died Tuesday afternoon when two school buses serving Sunnyview and Chilhowee Intermediate School crashed with "a big bang" in East Knoxville, authorities said. ~snip~ Police gave no names or ages of the students but said most ranged from kindergarten to second grade. Relatives of at least one victim learned of the death at the scene from the police chief and burst into screams and tears.

[snip] ACT for America, is – according to their website, “the nation’s largest non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots organization devoted to promoting national security and defeating terrorism. ACT for America has 280,000 members organized in more than 890 chapters nationwide and 11 countries worldwide.” One of their chapters is located in Knoxville, Tennessee. As an informational service to the community, the local president, John Peach, organized an evening presentation on the menace of Sharia law and attempts by local governments across America to institute provisions for incorporating it. [snip] Mr. Peach and his associate, Bill French applied for use of an auditorium...

KNOXVILLE — A Florida man sought in a triple killing was in custody Tuesday afternoon and being treated for a self-inflicted gunshot wound after holing up in a West Knoxville motel room, Knox County authorities said. David Eugene Smith, 27, who likes to refer to himself as “Prince David,” called E-911 about 9:25 a.m. Tuesday and declared that he was wanted in connection with the killings of two women and a man near Lakeland, Fla., according to the Polk County, Fla., County Sheriff’s Office.

Full Headline: Tennessee sheriff's deputy is FIRED after he was caught on camera choking an unresisting college student until he passed out A sheriff's deputy in Knox County, Tennessee has been fired after he was caught on camera allegedly choking a university student Saturday night. Frank Phillips, 47, was been found 'unsuitable for continued employment,' according to a termination notice posted Sunday night on the Knox County Sheriff's Office's website. 'In my 34 years of law enforcement experience, excessive force has never been tolerated. After an investigation by the Office of Professional Standards, I believe excessive force was used in...

Gov't Spending $4.8M to Tell Students to 'Get Fruved' March 17, 2014 - 9:13 AM By Eric Scheiner (CNSNews.com) - If a college student dressed up as a giant bunch of grapes jumped out of the shadows and told you to "get fruved," what could you possibly say? The University of Tennessee-Knoxville is getting more than $4.8 million taxpayer dollars to develop a healthy-eating campaign that has students -- dressed up as fruits and vegetables -- cavorting in the hallways of higher education. Getting "fruved" means you're eating your FRUits and VEgetables. Get it? The USDA’s National Institute of Food...

The winning bidder will also receive historic photos and documentation of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow's last stand, when the partners in life and crime were ambushed by law enforcement officers in Louisiana.

Questions raised about attacks that already are happening Al [Sharpton] and Jesse [Jackson] may worry that the acquittal of George Zimmerman will usher in a new era of white-on-black violence in America. After all, the local CBS affiliate is reporting that police officers already are training for violence. “There has been some talk among the officers that we believe that this training has to do with the fact that there might be some type of civil unrest, but we are hoping that that doesn’t happen,” said Javier Ortiz with the Fraternal Order of Police. The affiliate also said in Broward...

The George Zimmerman trial is a TV ratings bonanza. We are told that this is an important trial because… Well, because the liberal ruling class and the race hustlers who work in concert to Balkanize this nation—race, gender, religion, whatever works—tell us that this is a narrative about race relations in America. George Zimmerman is being cast as a post-modern Bull Connor. Forget that Zimmerman is dark-skinned and Hispanic. Ignore the inconvenient fact that Zimmerman mentored young black kids. Forget that it’s Trayvon Martin who was the racist, referring to Zimmerman as a “creepy-ass cracker.” Barack Hussein Obama most helpfully...

The gun glinted in the dark as the man turned toward Anthony Smith and fired. “I saw the gun,” Smith said. “I heard the shot. I didn’t hit the ground. I fired.” The gunman missed, but Smith hit his mark. Knoxville Police Department officers found the body of Justin Pierre Jackson, 30, in a nearby alley less than half an hour later.

WATE: Authorities are investigating after a security guard was fired upon at the Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant. It happened around 2 a.m. today on the TVA property near the Tennessee River about a quarter mile from the plant's protected area. Officials say the security officer was patrolling the area when he was shot at, he returned fire and was uninjured. The shooting lead the Watts Bar plant staff to declare an unusual event, which is the lowest of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's four emergency classifications. The FBI will also be sending a team. A suspect has not been found.

When Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch announced in late January that the department would no longer use the .40-caliber Glock pistol that officers have carried since 2002, he didn’t mention any problems with the gun. Rausch said the replacement gun, a .45-caliber Sig Sauer, had more stopping power than the .40-calibers. Testing among officers also revealed they were more accurate using the Sig Sauer, he said.

Knoxville, Tenn., known for being the home of Dolly Parton and the Tennessee Valley Authority, was named number one on the American Bible Society's "Most Bible-Minded Cities" list. With research conducted by the Barna Group, the ABS' recently released findings were based off of seven years' worth of telephone and online interviews with a random sample space of 42,855 adults. After Knoxville, the other nine cities on the top ten list in descending order are: Shreveport, La.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Birmingham, Ala.; Jackson, Miss.; Springfield, Mo.; Charlotte, N.C.; Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va. sharing the number 8 spot; Huntsville, Ala.; and Charleston,...

Four more years! Four more years! Reuters: ******** Retailers moving into old downtown buildings, an abundance of freshly planted greenspaces, and a stream of new jobs in Knoxville, Tennessee, are all signs to Mayor Madeline Rogero that for the last year prosperity has been blooming in her city. "We feel very good about how we're coming out of this recession," Rogero said. "We see new interest. We see new development that's occurring. We're optimistic that this recovery is going to continue." Knoxville is a member of a very small club. Three and a half years since the 2007-09 economic recession...

Longtime Knoxville abortion clinic closes doors A new Tennessee law requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at local hospitals is being blamed for the closure of a longtime Knoxville abortion provider. An executive director of the Abortion Care Network confirmed to The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/S1m8aL ) that the Volunteer Women's Medical Center closed Friday. The clinic had been operating for 38 years.

State Sen. Doug Overbey, a Maryville lawyer, has pocketed a passel of endorsements in the 2nd District Republican primary. Newspapers, the National Federation of Independent Business and the Tennessee Education Association endorsed Overbey, along with Republican heavyweights Gov. Bill Haslam and, a bit surprisingly, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, a tea party favorite. Given his opponent, Overbey needs all the help he can get. Scott Hughes, chief financial officer for a Knoxville church and former pro-life executive, is challenging Overbey at every turn, in every way. Though Overbey maintains an enormous financial advantage, Hughes has loquaciously roughed up Overbey in debates.

KNOXVILLE — A special judge has decided to — again — grant new trials in one of Knoxville’s most high-profile cases, and state prosecutors are responding by asking him to step down from the case. A motion filed late Friday afternoon in Knox County Criminal Court reveals that Special Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood is planning to enter an order granting new trials in the January 2007 torture slayings of Channon Christian, 21, and Christopher Newsom, 23, without holding a hearing and despite a recent state Supreme Court ruling faulting his legal reasoning. Assistant District Attorney General Leland Price, in turn,...

Man Who Fathered 30 Kids Says He Needs A Break—On Child Support [Pic of Father in URL] By Pueng Vongs And you thought Octomom had her hands full—a Tennessee man who has fathered 30 children is asking the courts for a break on child support. Desmond Hatchett, 33, of Knoxville has children with 11 different women, reports WREG-TV. The state already takes half his paycheck and divides it up, which doesn't amount to much when Hatchett is making only minimum wage. Some of the moms receive as little as $1.49 a month. The oldest child is 14 years old. Hatchett...

KNOXVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals has said that it won't take up an extraordinary appeal involving a lower court's decision to throw out convictions in the murders of a Knoxville couple who was kidnapped and sexually tortured. Friday's split court decision is a setback for Knox County prosecutors who were hoping that they wouldn't be forced to retry cases heard by a judge who is said to have been high on prescription drugs.

KNOXVILLE — A special judge today granted new trials for four defendants in the 2007 torture-slaying cases, agreeing with lawyers that presiding Judge Richard Baumgartner's conduct led to fundamental structural flaws in the prosecutions. Jon Kerry Blackwood, his voice at times rising to a shout, said Baumgartner was obviously intoxicated in 2009 and 2010 while Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins, George Thomas and Vanessa Coleman were being prosecuted.

One judge lied for her, had sex with her and shared painkillers with her. Another sent her to prison Wednesday. Knox County Criminal Court Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz ordered Deena Castleman, 37, to serve six years for a slew of convictions, including aggravated burglary, theft, DUI and possession of prescription painkillers. Castleman racked up all those charges while engaged in a relationship with former Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner that included sex and both pill-procuring for him and pill-using with him, according to portions of a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation probe made public earlier this month. At least one of...

Court of secrecy: How Richard Baumgartner, a drug-addicted judge, stayed on the bench despite warningsIt was a Thursday night in January 2010 when the phone rang at the Andersonville home of then-Knox County Sheriff's Office courtroom security officer Meredith Driskell. "He said, 'I'm coming to get those pills.' He told me to put them in a brown paper bag. I told him no ... but he told me I was going to," she recalled when contacted by the News Sentinel. "So, I put them in a brown paper bag and handed it to him, my husband, who hadn't been in...

KNOXVILLE — A Tennessee judge was so addicted to prescription drugs during his final two years on the bench, he was having sex and buying pills during courtroom breaks, at times purchasing from convicts he had previously sentenced, an investigation found. His behavior has called into question many of the cases he presided over, including one of Knoxville's most notorious murders. Many people didn't realize Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner had a problem until he stepped down from the bench and pleaded guilty in March 2011 to a single count of official misconduct. It would be another eight months before...

Exclusive: Ben Kinchlow weighs in on Martin-Zimmerman issue, Iranian-Israeli crises I am sitting outside a coffee shop, having a cup of hot tea with my business partner. Lying on the table is my video-enabled iPhone with Facebook, Twitter, Evernote, iCal, email alerts and 1247 contacts with texting capability. Let us not forget news alerts from Fox and CNN, plus apps and email alerts from a couple of consul general offices and other news sources, including the Israeli GPO (government press office) and the Jerusalem Post. My partner and I have been busy resolving several issues, including the Iranian/Israeli crises. “Do...

KNOXVILLE — A judge said today he has no authority to make public the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's file on former judge Richard Baumgartner. "This court has no authority whatsoever to decide on its own, 'I'm going to let the public see this file,'" Special Judge John Kerry Blackwood said at a specially-called hearing in Knox County Criminal Court. Blackwood said the portions of the file not made public contain phone records and recorded conversations in which Baumgartner discusses sex with two women and makes "crude remarks" about people. "What you're not going to find (in the TBI file) is...

As you may have read I was asked to leave a restaurant in Knoxville because my beliefs did not support the owners beliefs on homosexuality. I had not said anything. I was just standing there waiting for a table when the owner came up and started yelling at me calling me names and telling me they were not going to serve me because of my alleged beliefs saying I hate gays. I said in as calm a way as I could that I don't hate gays and the things I have said were backed up by the CDC. I offered...

KNOXVILLE (WATE) - A man was taken to the hospital Sunday afternoon after shooting himself in the hand at a gun show. Gun dealer Bill Adams, 64, of Kodak, was taking a concealed gun out to show a customer, when the gun discharged and shot him in the hand. Knoxville Police said the man removed the magazine from the .45 semiautomatic Kimber handgun, but a shell remained in the chamber.

Ben Franklin, a World War II veteran who saw combat in North Africa, Normandy and at the Battle of the Bulge and went on to be honored by both France and the U.S. president for his service, died Thursday on his 87th birthday.

KNOXVILLE — Deputies are searching today for the men who broke into an East Knox County home and dumped a wounded accomplice at a fast-food restaurant. The break-in happened around 12:30 p.m. at a home on Curtis Road, Knox County E-911 records show. The homeowner called E-911. Moments later, someone dumped a wounded man in the parking lot near the drive-thru of the McDonald's on Millertown Pike near Knoxville Center Mall. "He'd been shot in the butt, and they left him," . . .

The four pieces of human filth who brutally raped and murdered a young Knoxville couple are all getting new trials, thanks to the drug-addicted judge who presided over the cases. Former judge Richard Baumgartner bought extensively from the convicts in his own drug court. He considered himself above the law but finally got caught. Because he was high much of the time he was presiding over the trials, the families of the victims get to hear yet again how their children were savagely beaten, raped and mutilated before finally being killed.

KNOXVILLE — A special judge today granted new trials for four defendants in the 2007 torture-slaying cases, agreeing with lawyers that presiding Judge Richard Baumgartner's conduct led to fundamental structural flaws in the prosecutions. Jon Kerry Blackwood, his voice at times rising to a shout, said Baumgartner was obviously intoxicated in 2009 and 2010 while Lemaricus Davidson, Letalvis Cobbins, George Thomas and Vanessa Coleman were being prosecuted. Baumgartner used defendants under his influence to procure pills to satisfy his habit, Blackwood said, citing a TBI investigation. He engaged in sex with one defendant, Deena Castleman, who helped him satisfy his...

When I told my friends I was working on a magazine article, then a book, about a tsunami of racial violence in America over the last two years, they said, “I haven’t heard about that.” When my Tennessee friend told me about a horrific racial crime in Knoxville, Tennessee, I told him: “I haven’t heard about that.” Outside of Tennessee, most did not.

In Knoxville, hundreds of calls and email have flooded into the University of Tennessee bookstore. In Brooklyn, N.Y., the company behind the satirical mints has sold out until the end of the month. And on eBay, the tiny tin cans of mints are going for $30 and higher.

Bob Fulcher stood frozen on Market Square with his arms stretched out like he was waiting for a hug. "I wanted to do it. I wanted to be here and I wanted to be a part of the human furniture that was laid out about the beauty of humanity," the 58-year-old said after participating in a frozen flash mob Friday evening. From a woman taking a sip from her cup to two men in mid-fight with lightsabers, Market Square was taken over by several hundred people who stood frozen for five minutes.

Guy Ronald McDowell walked out of a hospital and into a "suicide by officers" scenario that left him dead, a family friend said Friday. Attorney and family friend Eddie Daniel said McDowell, killed by police on Interstate 275 after he pointed what turned out to be a pellet gun at officers, had been released from an area hospital shortly before the Thursday night shooting that Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch termed a "suicide by officers" plot.

A Knox County Chancery Court lawsuit is providing insight into the scale of operation of a local importer and manufacturer of military firearms, which sells thousands of weapons ranging from World War II vintage Czech guns and AK-47 assault rifles to flare pistols and was raided by federal agents in 2009.

KNOXVILLE - A Criminal Court jury this afternoon convicted former Knox County Community Services Director Cynthia Finch of two counts of felony forgery but acquitted her of fabricating evidence. The jurors found she was guilty of forging an invoice for $1,759, a Class D felony punishable by two to four years in prison. She also was convicted of forging an invoice under $500, a Class E felony that has a sentence of one to two years. Special Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood said sentencing would be set later. The jury acquitted her of fabricating evidence. The verdicts were returned after about...